Are You A Box Store Member Christian?

And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.          Acts 2:42

What is the difference between being a Costco or Sam’s club member and being a local church member? When we are members of the former, we go once a week or maybe more if we need something special. We bring our list and usually spend the same amount of time each week getting what we need and want. We may speak briefly to those that greet us, check us out, and go over our receipt when we leave. We are careful not to talk too much because we have busy schedules and need to get in and out. We leave and don’t give the place a second thought until we return next week. We may even tell others how much better “our” warehouse store is than theirs.

The sad reality is that many professing Christians could put the name of their church in what I just   described, which would be their weekly church    experience. We are consumers at the local  warehouse store, and the sad reality is we often treat our church as if we are customers looking to be served, encouraged, and sent about our way.

What a shame if we treat church like our local warehouse store. We come in on Sunday morning   at 10:30 AM, sit down, smile, and properly greet the person next to us. We sing then, during the greeting time, we may speak to the person in front or behind us. We sing again and then spend 45-60 minutes listening to the sermon.

After the closing prayer, we get up and leave saying goodbye to the preacher or one or two other people. We get in our vehicles, drive off and never give the church or our fellow believers a second thought until it’s time for church next week. God never intended His people to treat the local body like a warehouse store as if we were just consumers.

In the second chapter of Acts, Luke informs us that 3,000 were saved after Peter preached on the day of Pentecost. Then we are told what these new believers did as a result of that salvation, “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’    teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of    bread and to the prayers.” In other words, they became the local church and didn’t just go to church one day a week; it became a daily occurrence in their lives. Luke tells us, “And daily devoting themselves with  one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2 46-47)”.

Being a Grace Harvest member does not mean you come to church when you have nothing else to do.    It does not mean you walk in the door at 10:30 and leave without speaking to anybody week after week or expecting people to serve you. So, what does it mean to be a member of Grace Harvest or any other Bible-believing local assembly

First, we devote ourselves to the teachings of the shepherds and elders that God puts in spiritual authority over the local church, and we willingly    submit to their spiritual authority ( Hebrews 13:17).

Second, we devote ourselves to fellowship within   the body of Grace Harvest. Your fellow members are your spiritual family. There are more than 50 “one    another” in the New testament. We should be  committed to obeying them all. It means that you serve your brothers and sisters in Christ (Romans 12:4-7). It’s not about you; it is about everyone else. Jesus is our example. He told the disciples that he did not come to be served but to serve ( Luke 22:27).

Thirdly, we celebrate the Lord’s supper together. At GHBC, we commemorate the Lord’s Supper twice a month. It is disconcerting when someone claims to be a believer and yet does not celebrate the Lord’s Supper.

Finally, as a local body of members, we commit  ourselves to individual and corporate prayer.

What say you, Christian? Do you treat your  membership at GHBC like you do a box-store  membership, or do you look at it the way God does?

Your shepherd,

Pastor Mark